a daily journal of natural events – empahsis on avian

The white winged crows of Boxley Valley

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing (on several occasions) a young white winged crow, near the Ponca Bridge in the Boxley Valley, Arkansas. I have to admit the first time I saw the crow I thought it was a Pileated Woodpecker coming directly at me. The black and white wings are remarkable and showy too. Then “caw caw caw”.

The are actually fish crows (a little smaller than an American Crow) and hang around and feed in the waters of the Buffalo River.

They are “leucistic”. These birds are partial albinos, so sometimes this is called “partial albinism”. It has to do with a deficiency in melanin. It is odd that this family only inhabits the Boxley Valley of NW Arkansas. According to Mike Dougherty of Compton Arkansas, he has seen only 3 individuals in the area.

Hunters like their wing feathers but it would be very had to find one less shoot and kill it, as rare as they are and as hard as crows are to fool.